Nat Hyman, the well-funded Republican nominee for Allentown mayor, paid more than $15,000 to two law firms that worked to quash his grassroots Republican opponents, campaign finance records show.

The reports, which were due Friday, detail two payments made by Hyman to local firms: $6,570 to elections attorney Lawrence Otter on May 6, and $9,361 to Gross McGinley on May 20. Hyman received an additional $2,190 in in-kind services from Otter on May 26, records show.

In March, Otter and Gross McGinley attorney Jackson Eaton filed two legal challenges questioning the petitions of Luiz Garcia and Christopher Pez, the two Republicans who were facing Hyman in the battle for the Republican nomination. The challenge against Pez was successful, knocking him off the ballot for insufficient signatures.

Garcia persevered in the other challenge, which questioned his eligibility to run for mayor as an Allentown city employee. Lehigh County President Judge Edward Reibman ruled that his court did not have standing to make a decision on Garcia's eligibility and referred the case to the city's Board of Ethics. A Commonwealth Court judge affirmed that decision when Otter appealed.

The case took several weeks to work its way through the court system, and Garcia, an Allentown police detective, went into debt, racking up $12,000 in legal fees as he defended himself.

Hyman has never acknowledged funding the challenges, which were filed by Jessica Pearse, a Muhlenberg College student and vice president of the school's college Republicans. During a debate in April, Garcia revealed that he had had dinner with Hyman, and said the Republican nominee warned him of the court challenge. At that debate, Hyman acknowledged meeting with Garcia, but said he warned him that the Lehigh County Republican Committee would be leading the fight.

Allentown mayoral canidate Nat Hyman, who won the Republican nomination in the primary election Tuesday, May 16, 2017, reacts as the results come in.

Allentown mayoral canidate Nat Hyman, who won the Republican nomination in the primary election Tuesday, May 16, 2017, reacts as the results come in.

The Republican committee has not claimed any legal expenses as a result of the challenge, campaign finance reports show.

Hyman could not be reached Monday for comment.

Garcia said Hyman's spending shows his opponents "posed a legitimate threat to his candidacy" because they were "actual Republicans." Hyman, a longtime Democrat, registered as a Republican shortly before announcing his candidacy.

Hyman outspent Garcia 20 to 1 in the race and also had the support of several key figures with the county Republican committee. Campaign finance reports for Hyman's campaign committee show $28,168 in spending, $25,000 of which he loaned the campaign. Hyman also personally paid for $15,931 in legal services.

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Garcia's final campaign finance report had not been filed with the Lehigh County Voter Registration office by the close of business Monday. His previous report showed that he spent $1,367 on the race. Garcia said he plans to file the report on Tuesday.

While Hyman outpaced Garcia in fund-raising, he spent less on the race than several of the seven Democratic candidates also running for office. School board member and former security company executive Charlie Thiel spent $122,709 on his bid for mayor and came in third. Pawlowski was just behind him with $105,937 in spending, campaign finance records show.